Washington Basketball finished the 2019-2020 season with a 15-17 record but a dismal 5-13 showing in PAC-12 conference play.
Washington Basketball has been defined over the past 15 years or so as a team with plenty of individual talent, but not enough team chemistry and coaching acumen to get them over the hump.
Players like Markelle Fultz, Spencer Hawes, Terrence Ross, Isaiah Thomas and DeJounte Murray all cycled through UW in the past 10 years, and none of them got to make an impact in March thanks to underwhelming regular seasons by the Huskies.
Even after coach Mike Hopkins, a longtime assistant under Jim Boeheim at Syracuse took over from coach Lorenzo Romar, the M.O. has basically been the same.
The 2019-20 team had two dynamic freshmen, Jaden McDaniels and Isaiah Stewart, both who seem destined to be first-round picks in the NBA draft. However, they finished a disappointing 15-17 on the season and went a pathetic 5-13 in conference play thanks in large part to a disastrous nine-game losing streak and the suspension of starting point guard Quade Green.
UW still finished 54th in KenPom rankings, fifth in the PAC-12, and they had an AdjD of 93.1, giving them the 31st best defense in the country.
So, Hopkins’ 2-3 zone is still getting these done, but until this team can actually make their mark in the NCAA tournament, his chair will remain hot.
With no incoming class to speak of, and the team’s top two scorers headed toward careers in the NBA – things might get even worse next season.
Here’s a look at what went down last year, who the key players were, and what might happen next season, if/when it happens.